For a multitude of reasons, it is advantageous to use electric vehicles having rechargeable batteries rather than vehicles using internal combustion engines. Electric vehicles are inherently more efficient, meaning more energy is used in locomotion than lost to heat than in conventional internal combustion engines. Also, electric vehicles do not exhaust any byproducts. However, the use of electric vehicles presents technical challenges. For example, the batteries in an electric vehicle must be monitored and managed. Electric vehicle having modular batteries can be particularly challenging, as they have multiple batteries or battery packs that must be monitored and managed. Monitoring can include measurement and reporting of an individual battery's remaining charge, rate of discharge, rate of charge, temperature, and operational state. Management of the batteries can include disconnecting the battery, connecting the battery, or the like.
Battery monitoring systems in current vehicles are generally complex computer systems. Current solutions employ microprocessors executing an operating system. Such systems are inherently complex and require dedicated software systems that must be made sufficiently robust since a failure of the battery monitoring system may cause the electric vehicle to stop functioning. Therefore, significant time and effort must be placed into software and operating system development for battery monitor systems. As a result, product cycle time and cost are greatly increased.